Karamatsu's Star
by Sailorlovesong
Summary: Chibita's discovered that crossdressing has its benefits. Little did he know that winning Karamatsu's heart would be one of them. A Karabita fanfiction. Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are much appreciated.
1. Starry-Eyed Dancing

"Another successful night of oden," Chibita praised himself, packing the remainder of his cooking supplies into his oden cart. After wiping his hands onto a dishrag, he began his usual nightly stroll with his trusty oden cart back to the small rental flat he called home. After safely securing his cart in the storage garage, he let himself in his apartment. He locked the door behind him and walked into his small bedroom. He read the red clock ticking on his nightstand: 9:00pm.

 _Perfect timing_ , thought Chibita. Full of determination, he went to his closet and pulled out a box purposely kept hidden beneath a mound of aprons and slippers. Ever since the time he and Iyami used those feminizing pills to trick those irritating sextuplets out of their cash, Chibita had harbored a secret interest in cross-dressing. Hence, the box he now plopped upon his floor-level bed was full of female clothing, wigs, and make-up. Thanks to the convenience of online fashion and drag make-up tutorials, Chibita was able to teach himself how to dress as a young woman better than Iyami had.

Chibita stared at a flyer hanging on the wall:

 **Primrose Nightclub: Dancing in Starlight**

 **Dancing, Drinking, and Mingling**

 **Ladies drink FREE until 11pm.**

Chibita smirked to himself, anxious for the night of fun he was about to achieve. Once he stripped off his work clothes, he stepped into opaque black tights, a blue sequin dress, and a pair of black kitten heels. After carefully brushing out any tangles, he placed a shoulder-length brunette wig upon his bald head. From a green make-up bag, he removed a container of concealer and applied a thick enough amount to hide his fairly noticeable five-o'clock shadow. A heavily detailed, blue smokey eye and shimmery pink lipstick were drawn on Chibita's face within the next fifteen minutes. After a final check in a full-length mirror on his bedroom wall, Chibita shoved some cash and his house keys into a black purse and confidently sauntered towards the direction of the club.

 _Free drinks, here I come!_

XOXO

Thanks to the dim lighting and the readily available quantities of booze, Chibita's disguise was never put under suspicion. In fact, a few men were attempting to hit on him throughout the night. Though he had never found himself fully attracted to men, he did enjoy the sudden attention. He had even attempted to dance with a red-shirted guy for a while until he got a bit too grabby for Chibita's liking. For the most part, Chibita contently sat by the bar and took full advantage of the free drink opportunity. Forty minutes, three shots of sake, and half a bottle of beer into his night, Chibita began ensuring himself that this night couldn't be ruined. Chibita's confidence was soon foiled by the greeting of a familiar voice.

"Good evening, my star."

Nearly choking on the sip of beer he had just taken, Chibita spun to his left to see an infamously memorable presence: Karamatsu. The sextuplet had his back to the bar, using it to support his elbows while portraying a forced "cool guy" pose. His black leather jacket and boots had a faint sheen under the mock starlight illuminating from the club's ceiling. He had sleeked his hair more than usual, but the excessive wetness proved he had overdone his use of hair product. The blue shirt had its first two buttons undone, giving Chibita's eyes the chance to peak at the NEET's hairless collarbone and chest. Though the club was darkened, Karamatsu continued to dawn his sunglasses over his eyes.

Seeing he caught Chibita's attention, he pushed his sunglasses forward and produced a flirtatiously smirk across his face.

"I came here to see the stars, but I never expected to see a star as beautiful as you here tonight."

 _Ugh, how long did it take this idjit to come up with that line_ , Chibita thought to himself with confusion and disgust on his face. Eyeing Karamatsu up and down, he realized the wannabe cool guy wasn't able to recognize him in his feminine persona. He felt pride and nervousness over this realization. Attempting to ignore him, Chibita continued to sip on his beer while avoiding eye contact.

Instead of leaving, Karamatsu sat himself on the vacant seat beside Chibita. He took Chibita's free hand in his own, facing his entire body toward the oden lover. While staring at Chibita's hand in his, he seductively questioned, "My dainty star, would you do me the honor of dancing with me on this lovely night?" As he finished, Karamatsu's eyes began to intensely sparkle with lust as he stared at Chibita.

Normally, Chibita could knock Karamatsu off his chair in one swing and tell him off until he left. However, the amount of alcohol swimming in his system dampened his short fuse. Clearing his throat, he spoke to Karamatsu using his well-rehearsed female voice.

"Thanks, but I think I'd rather stay here."

The sparkling in his eyes ceased, but he continued holding Chibita's hand. He gave a blank expression for a moment, clearly trying to process what had just been said. A moment later, a wide smile returned to Karamatsu's as he let out a cool chuckle.

"Ah, I understand completely."

"Good. Now, can I have my hand—"

"Poor Karamatsu girl," interrupted Karamatsu, "you shouldn't be scared of the dance floor."

Chibita blinked twice in confusion. "W-what?"

"You must feel so much pressure right now. Being given such an opportunity without preparation must overwhelm you to the very core. Well, my star, do not fear dancing with me. I promise to keep you safe in my arms as we enchant another through the beautiful ballad that is dancing."

"That doesn't even make any—Hey!" Without warning, Chibita felt himself being pulled off his chair and out of Karamatsu's grip. Once motionless, he was surrounded in the arms of a familiar stranger: the man in the red shirt he had danced with earlier.

"There you are, toots," the stranger said in a deep voice. "I thought I'd come for another dance."

"No, no. I'm fine where I am." Chibita tried his best to maneuver out of his grip, which only prompted the guy to clench his waist tighter.

"Pfft, don't be such a buzz kill." He seemed more intoxicated than before, drunkenly swaggering as he attempted to guide Chibita towards the dance floor. Chibita was able to resist moving more than a few inches from the bar.

"I said let go of me. I'm not dancing with you again." Chibita began to claw at his grip with his free hand. Unfortunately, the adamant stranger was able to avert more strength since he was almost twice the height and weight of Chibita.

Chibita's resistance quickly got the pursuer's nerves, making his attitude bitter. "Listen, bitch," he hissed loudly while gripping the overpowered crossdresser's cheeks between his fingers, "we're at a club, and you're gonna dance with me. Now quit with the hard-to-get act. It's pissing me off."

Suddenly, a large sound of glass crashing against a hard surface was heard over the music. Though the current song continued blaring, tens of people including Chibita and his victimizer turned their heads toward the sound. Standing in the spot where the sound was produced was none other than Karamatsu. He wielded the neck of Chibita's beer bottle in his right hand, which now had jagged edges where its bottom once existed. With his weapon pointed at Chibita's restrainer, the most intimidating glare Chibita had ever witnessed omitted from the sextuplet's face. Onlookers began to crowd the scene, curious to see what events were to follow. After a moment of silent staring, Karamatsu spoke in a rough and stern voice.

"I didn't come here tonight to fight, fellow stranger. However, you've forced me to intervene. Let the girl go."

Having slightly loosened his grip on Chibita, the guy furrowed his eyebrows at Karamatsu. "And if I don't?"

A streak of light flashed across Karamatsu's sunglasses. "I'll cut you down where you stand."

"You're bluf—"

"TRY. ME." The confidence and pitch of Karamatsu's voice was enough to make the guy push Chibita away, releasing him from his clutches. Chibita stumbled forward a bit, but was gently caught by Karamatsu's free arm. The guy balled his fists as if he wished to fight, but ultimately backed away.

"Whatever. I don't have interest in a prude, anyway." These were red-shirted man's last words before disappearing into the crowd of clubbers.

As others began to whisper to another about what just happened, Chibita watched Karamatsu lower his weapon and place it on the bar. "Sorry about the commotion," he said to the bartender, whom he slipped a small tip in apology for the mess. He then turned his attention to his "damsel" in distress, offering a suave smile.

"Are you alright?" Karamatsu's glasses flickered softly.

"Y-yes," Chibita mumbled with a dumbfounded nod. Something overcame Chibita. Having seen Karamatsu defend him so valiantly, Chibita couldn't help but relish the contact of the usually intolerable NEET's arm around him. He figured the shock of the event and his drink intake had to be a major factor to his reaction, but he was too wrapped up in the moment to scorn himself.

"I'm glad," Karamatsu responded. "I wouldn't want my little star shining any less bright due to a monster like him."

 _This idjjit's so cheesy,_ Chibita thought, _but he's actually…pretty cool._

Karamatsu once again held Chibita's hand and faced his body towards him. In the seductive voice attempted earlier, the sextuplet repeated a request:

"So, my star, may I have this dance?"

Chibita gulped as he decided to give in to the moment. With a small nod and blush radiating in his made-up cheeks, he allowed Karamatsu to lead him through the crowd of people. Once in the center of the dance floor, Karamatsu placed his hands on both of Chibita's hips. Chibita followed Karamatsu's lead, reaching his arms up and around the other man's neck. Though the song was rather upbeat, they ended up swaying in another's arms. As Chibita looked up at Karamatsu, he noticed his cheeks were scorched red. More interestingly, Karamatsu's head was pointed in the direction of their feet and the phrase "One, two, three" repeatedly muttered from his lips.

"Have you ever danced with a girl before?"

"Huh?" Karamatsu paused his counting to meet Chibita's glance.

"Y-you're counting steps, aren't you?" Chibita smirked to himself as Karamatsu showed evident signs of being flustered.

"O-oh! Of course not, my star. Uh…I mean, yes. I'm counting steps because I…want to count how many steps I have taken while in the arms of an angel as gorgeous as you." Karamatsu did a nervous chuckle and cleared his throat awkwardly.

Chibita knew he could have continued pestering the hell out of Karamatsu but chose to be merciful just for tonight. Instead of escalating the teasing, he let the cheesy answer pass and rested his head upon the NEET's shoulder. The growing intimacy between them made up for the smell of knock-off cologne the oden enthusiast detected on Karamatsu's clothing.

"Um, my star?"

"Yes?"

"W-would you like to…have our paths cross again in the future? Perhaps you'll let me take you on a date?"

Chibita, still intoxicated by the mood and sake shots, pulled his head off Karamatsu's shoulder to genuinely smile up at him.

"Only if you promise me one thing."

Karamatsu's flirtatious smirk returned. "Anything, my star."

"Let's not do anything too fancy."

"Your wish is my command, my star."

With that, they danced in another's arms for another heavenly hour with blushes and smiles upon their faces.


	2. Drama at the Oden Cart

From his oden cart, Chibita watched clouds traveling across the orange sky hung over the calmly flowing canal. He couldn't help but replay every memory from last night's venture in his mind. Never would he have guessed that he'd spend an hour of his life slow dancing with another man, let alone Karamatsu. True, Chibita found Karamatsu the least annoying and complicated out of his gang of NEET brothers. He had spent many hours conversing solely with Karamatsu while cooking, trying to teach him the wonders of oden and listening to him babble on about romance and his imaginary posse of "Karamatsu girls."

Still, Chibita couldn't shake the memory of Karamatsu's eyes viciously piercing through that jerk's soul nor how softly the hairs on Karamatsu's nape would brush against his fingers while they danced. Even that stupid nickname Karamatsu kept calling him echoe.

 _My star…_

The sizzling of the oden broth snapped Chibita back to reality. "Get a hold of yourself, damn idjit," he cursed to himself. "You just had too many drinks last night. Damn sake's messed with your brain."

Though he made a convincing argument, he couldn't simply forget; after all, he had promised to go on a date with Karamatsu tomorrow night. Fear flooded through Chibita over the date. He knew he had to tell that Matsu the truth, but some unkempt desire continually advised him to keep his mouth shut. For the first time, he had something more prominent than oden to contemplate.

"O-DEN! O-DEN! OOOO-DEN!"

"Shit!" Chibita knew exactly whose lips were singing that chant. Rubbing his hands nervously on his apron, he tried to focus on his beloved food as the Matsu brothers sat in their usual spots at Chibita's oden chart. Glancing up, Chibita's heart violently pulsed at the sight of Karamatsu. Though he was wearing hoodies similar to all his brothers, Chibita grew a strong belief that the outfit complimented the wannabe cool guy best.

"Afternoon, Chibita," spoke Osomatsu first.

"Hi, Chibita," Todomatsu and Choromatsu greeted in cheerful unison.

"Uh…hello, NEETs," stammered Chibita in return, trying to sound normal and to avoid contact with Karamatsu as best he could.

"What type of oden is on the menu today, Chibita?" asked Todomatsu, reaching for a napkin to place on his lap.

"There better not be more shellfish in this batch. It made the oden too crunchy last time," Ichimatsu critiqued with his usual monotone voice and unamused expression.

"PORK! PORK! PORK!" Jyushimatsu chanted to his own exaggerated and unmelodic tune, slapping his sleeved hands against the table as he did.

"Quit with all the racket! I have too big of a headache to deal with your usual banter, idjits!" Chibita began to hastily chop vegetables as Jyushimatsu ceased slapping the cart.

"Ah," Karamatsu finally interjected, "my body has also been aching all day." He pressed his sunglasses closer to his eyes as a slight chuckle emerged from within him. "However, ache is a small price to pay for meeting your one true love."

Karamatsu's words caused Chibita to drop a few onions onto the dirt. He automatically reached down to pick them up, but his mind and heart were racing.

 _One true love?_

"Oh, boy, here we go again." Choromatsu rolled his eyes and rested his head on his hand.

"You'll have to excuse our brother," Osomatsu said apologetically as Chibita rose with the onions in hand, "but he's been going on about some girl he met last night."

"She was everything a man could ask for," Karamatsu proclaimed while producing a dramatic pose. "My star was truly a celestial beauty, a fallen angel from Venus itself."

 _Cheesy bastard!_ Chibita's cheeks reddened as he began spooning soup-style oden into bowls for the sextuplets.

Todomatsu giggled at his daydreaming brother. "Kara, you had to have dreamed it. She's probably one of your imaginary fangirls, hmm?"

Karamatsu's cool smile was overtaken by a frown of insecurity. A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead. "S-she is real! I saved her by fighting off some disrespectful bastard, and we danced all night at the Primrose. She even let me walk her to the corner where the bus comes on our way home."

"You didn't fight. You couldn't beat a fly in thumb wrestling," Ichimatsu stated with a cruel half-hearted grin.

Karamatsu glared directly at his harsh-tongued brother. "I did so fight!" He held his fist against his chest while his glassed flashed in the light again. "I was her noble warrior, saving my pure and beautiful star from a ruthless barbarian. Once he saw my flashing blade pointed at his throat, he quickly surrendered. As the villain fled, my star came close and insisted to be under my protection for the rest of the night. Thus, she cuddled close to me in my arms, and we danced into the evening."

"H-here's your oden, idjits! Um…eat up already, damn it!" Flustered from Karamatsu's statement, Chibita sloppily passed six oden servings onto the table; he had to apologize for spilling some on Todomatsu's hoodie.

 _This idjit sure loves exaggerating..._ Chibita thought while handing Todomatsu a few extra napkins. As conflicted as he felt in the situation, he desperately wanted to smile at the image of Karamatsu dressed as a cool, strong warrior.

"Oh, now I have to do wash again," moaned Todomatsu in discouragement.

Choromatsu began to grill Karamatsu as well. "Oh yeah? If she was real, what's her name?"

Karamatsu began to open his mouth, but panic painted his face. He grew pale and looked down at his oden with a distant stare. "I…she never told me her name."

Choromatsu sighed. "Kara, you want us to believe you met a lady, danced with her, dropped her off at a corner, and she doesn't give out her name?"

"She is real," Karamatsu insisted in a soft tone.

"If she was real," Ichimatsu said in between chewing, "she sounds like some common street hooker."

With a violent growl, Karamatsu launched at Ichimatsu, knocking his own oden bowl to the ground in the process. Grabbing the collar of Ichimatsu's hoodie, he splurted out in rage, "Shut up, you loner cat lady! All of you shut the hell up! My star is real, and I'm going to see her again tomorrow night! That's right; we are going on a date, and it won't be just any date! It'll be a date so romantic that Cupid will come down from his cloud and strike arrows so deep in our hearts that no one will ever split us up!"

Osomatsu scolded, "Karamatsu, calm down! You're making a scene again."

Todomatsu sniffled faintly and hid his face in his hands. "Why do you guys have to embarrass me in front of all these people?" (This statement was one of pure exaggeration since the emotionally confused Chibita was the only audience to this scene).

Choromatsu attempted to comfort Todomatsu by rubbing his back caringly. "Kara, you're making Totty cry. You know how sensitive he gets in public."

Karamatsu's face went expressionless for a moment. He suddenly dropped his hand from Ichimatsu's collar and took four steps back. Chibita's heart began to sink as he noticed thick streams of tears coming from behind Karamatsu's sunglasses.

With a shaky fist on both sides of his hips, Karamatsu slowly spoke in a blubbery voice. "At least he has brothers who care about him enough to believe in everything he says…" The sextuplets and Chibita watched as Karamatsu turned his back on them and ran away in defeat and depression toward the direction of the Matsu boys' family home.

The remaining brothers at the oden chart silently glimpsed at another, individually processing what had happened. Even Chibita couldn't stop himself from being overly concerned of Karamatsu's state.

 _That idjit better make it home okay._


	3. A Watery First Date

Sitting on a wooden bench, Chibita twiddled his thumbs as the city's clock tower rang in the hour. It was now 7PM on Friday night, the exact time and day Karamatsu had asked his star to meet him in the park by the fountain. Prior to this moment, Chibita had spent the last two hours choosing an outfit that would best suit the occasion. He luckily remembered the fuchsia skater dress with thin black stripes he had purchased a few weeks ago. Black ballet flats, navy stockings, and the same brunette wig worn at the night club were soon paired with the dress along with a makeup scheme of nude pink lipstick and smoky gray eye shadow. Though confident in his outfit, doubts of Karamatsu appearing left Chibita antsy.

"Calm down, damn it," Chibita scolded himself under his breath. "He's just a stupid Matsuno." Chibita pulled his phone from his purse and checked it for the sixth time; no new messages could be found. He surveyed his surroundings. Though Karamatsu wasn't among the few people walking by, the sight of a little boy crying as his mom guided him along reminded Chibita of Karamatsu's emotional outburst.

 _Karamatsu left so abruptly yesterday_ , recalled Chibita. _I haven't seen him cry that much since my failed kidnapping. If that idjit stands me up because he's still crying, I guess that's a good enough excuse._

"Good evening, my star."

Chibita jumped and let out a small squeak of surprise due to Karamatsu whispering his greeting directly into his right ear. Karamatsu took a step back and gave his date a worried and apologetic look.

"Forgive me, my star. I had no desire to frighten you." The genuine nervousness in Karamatsu's expression prompted Chibita to flush from embarrassment.

"No need to feel bad," Chibita responded in his feminine voice. "I-I'm easily startled. Heh heh." Chibita returned his phone to inside the purse and tried to lighten the mood by jokingly adding, "You're a little late tonight. I began to think you forgot about our plans."

Karamatsu's cool guy expression returned to his face. As the glow from the streetlamp flashed across his sunglasses, Karamatsu slicked his hair back in one swift motion. "I would never miss a chance to bask in the glow of my star's galactic gorgeousness. Plus, in defense of my fashionable lateness, I had to retrieve a proper gift for you." Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a small bouquet of pink and white primroses tied together with a pink ribbon. With a cool smile and flushed cheeks, he bowed forward and presented the flowers to Chibita.

"Y-you didn't have to…" Chibita gently held the flowers in his hands, pressing them to his nose and smelling the sweet perfumes omitting from them. A familiar feeling of warm bliss returned within the oden salesman.

Taking a seat beside Chibita, Karamatsu replied, "It would have been a crime to not present you with a gift. After all, seeing those primroses reminded me of the place where our paths intersected so harmoniously…minus the scuffle."

 _This idjit's so sappy_ , Chibita thought as he flashed Karamatsu a shy smile.

"By the way," Karamatsu continued, "I forgot to ask what name has been graced by you, my star."

"Oh it's Chi—huh!" Chibita soon stopped himself, remembering the situation at hand. Knowing the danger of revealing his real name, Chibita softly gnawed his lower lip as he began to conjure up an alias.

"Chia?" Karamatsu raised his eyebrow.

"No, no! Uh…it's Chi…haru? Yes, Chiharu! My name's Chiharu."

Unfazed by the awkward answer, Karamatsu offered a flirtatious smile to his date. He gently held "Chiharu's" hand and pressed his lips onto the back of it. In a seductive voice, he purred, "Chiharu…you can call me your Karamatsu."

Chibita became bright red and almost let out another squeak. The gentle brush of Karamatsu's lips and the husky tone of his voice were enough to cause Chibita's toes to curl up inside his shoes. Speechless from bewildered, Chibita distracted himself from Karamatsu's glance by intensely eyeing the park fountain's trickling water flow peacefully. Karamatsu, who also had extra color in his cheeks, scooted closer to Chibita on the bench.

"Chiharu, my lovely star, I wish to know more about you. Tell me, do you always go to night clubs like Primrose?"

"Oh, uh, n-no. In fact, I rarely ever go to big social events like that. I work most of the day and prefer to go home and rest once I'm off. You know, watch some game shows or a movie before bed. I-I'm not a real exciting individual."

"Don't be so modest. Just because you don't party every night doesn't mean you're boring. You know, even I appreciate the wonders of calm and solitude."

"Really?"

Karamatsu nodded and turned his eyes to the evening sky; a wind began to cascade his bangs across his forehead as if on cue. "Before I allow the sand man to take me away on his ship of dreams, I sit upon the roof and play myself a love song on the guitar. True, I'd happily allow my brothers to be in attendance while I play, but they…usually remain uninterested." He lowered his head, staring at his knees.

Sensing Karamatsu's sadness, Chibita placed the flowers in his purse so the blossoms were peeking out and held both of Karamatsu's hands in his. As Karamatsu looked back at him, Chibita noticed tears in the corner of his eyes reflecting in the streetlamp's glow.

 _Damn this idjit and his unexplainably adorable, pathetic face_. Chibita gulped, trying to stop his knees from shaking. Finally, he pressed his hand against Karamatsu's cheek and spoke to him in a comforting voice.

"I doubt your brothers want to hurt you. If anything, your brothers don't know what they are missing out on, Karamatsu. You're not a bad person, just…more emotionally driven than most." Chibita offered a sincere smile to the Matsu boy. "Trust me; there's nothing wrong with you."

The two stared at another for a moment. Suddenly, Karamatsu's lower lip began to quiver, and he lunged into Chibita's arms. As he pressed his head against Chibita's shoulder, Karamatsu wailed in between sobs, "THAT'S THE…NICEST THING…ANYONE'S EVER SAID TO MEEE!"

"Damn it, calm down!" Karamatsu was unable to hear Chibita's demand over his sobbing. Chibita could feel tears soak into the fabric of his dress.

Overwhelmed by the awkwardness of the situation, Chibita's only instinct was to comfort the sextuplet by rubbing his back in a circular motion. "Uh…there, there?" A group of teenagers walked past them, giving them confused stares before snickering amongst another. Just as Chibita's embarrassment was at its peak, Karamatsu's crying grew quieter. Soon, Karamatsu sat back up. He took off his shades to dry his eyes and his nose on the back of his hand. As he put his shades back on, he sat forward and stared at the ground. Kicking a nearby rock away with his boot, Karamatsu softly said, "You…probably want to leave now, huh?"

"W-what?"

Karamatsu rubbed his arm as his aura turned melancholy. "I have to be honest with you, my star. I'm not as cool as I may seem."

"No…" Chibita tried his best to hide the lack of surprise in his voice.

"I do not wish to disappoint you, but I have too much of a heart to be the typical cool guy. I'd rather revel in a monogamous romance than be the guy with hundreds of women to pick and choose from day in and day out. In fact, I've never even had more than three women give me the time of day before. Two were scamming me for money, and the other was a psychotic plant that tried to take over half the city."

"What are you—"

"The point is I've never been able to be vulnerable around a woman before like that, but at the same time I've always wanted to. To me, showing one's true feelings is the bravest, most honorable action a man can do. However, I know that idea isn't always the definition of a man for most women." Karamatsu stood up with his back turned to his date and slouched with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. "So if you want nothing more to do with me, I understand…and I'm sorry for ruining tonight."

As he began to walk ahead, Chibita sprang up and grabbed Karamatsu by the wrist. Chibita inhaled a deep breath and hugged Karamatsu from behind, causing the sextuplet to gasp and tense up. With his lips close to Karamatsu's ear, Chibita whispered, "I'm not letting you go until we set up a second date, you idjit."

Karamatsu's body relaxed. A small chuckle left his lips as he spun himself around so that he could return Chibita's embrace properly. "You truly are a star, Chiharu."

While they pulled away and smiled at another, a light rain began to fall around them.

"Shit!" Chibita cursed as he raised his purse over his head as an alternate umbrella. Just as he began distressing over his wig becoming soaked, Karamatsu removed his jacket and held it above both their heads. The chivalrous action made Chibita secretly smile to himself and grow even fonder of the emotional romantic.

"Come on; I'll walk you home."

For three blocks, Chibita and Karamatsu walked beside another as rain pattered against the convenient shade of the leather jacket. Though neither conversed, loving glances and subtle smiles were continually exchanged between the two. As Chibita's front door came into view, a twinge of sadness arose in both of them over the thought that the night was truly concluding. Standing under the awning of his apartment, Chibita slowly searched for his keys in his purse.

"When did you want to meet again, Chiharu?" Karamatsu lowered his jacket once sure that rain could not touch either of them.

"Oh, um…I have work the next few days, but on Tuesday I'm free after six. M-maybe you could come here, and we could watch a movie." The bold request brought back Karamatsu's flirtatious smile.

"A night of watching movie stars with my own lovely star? Sounds like a night not worth missing, Chiharu." Chibita chuckled at the NEET's cheesiness, now finding it quite attractive. Karamatsu suddenly leaned forward a bit, placing his face a mere inch from Chibita's. Though he dared not to move forward, he bit his lower lip for a moment and had a shade of pink paint his cheeks; his body began to shudder in fear and anticipation. He suddenly backed off, and played off his previous stance as if he was trying to flick something off Chibita's hair.

"Uh, you had fuzz," he muttered, turning his head to the side so that Chibita couldn't look him in the eyes.

 _H-he actually tried to kiss me?_ Chibita became surprised and flattered over the realization. At that moment, Chibita decided he wanted to part with Karamatsu on a high note. Leaning up towards the sextuplet's exposed cheek, he closed the gap between them by briefly placing his lips against Karamatsu's pink-tinted skin. As Chibita pulled away, Karamatsu held the cheek that had been kissed; his glasses slid forward, showing how wide his eyes had become.

"Oh, uh, well…night, Kara!" Embarrassed and excited, Chibita unlocked his front door and dashed into his apartment, leaving Karamatsu speechlessly gawking outside. Once he locked his door again, Chibita pressed his back against the wooden frame. "I kissed that idjit," he whispered to guarantee himself that he was not in some kind of bittersweet dream. Though he knew he had made his life more complicated by doing so, he smiled to himself and resisted his desire to jump up in jamboree. Just as he closed his eyes to savor the feelings rushing through him, Chibita noticed the dripping of rain was being interrupted by a single sound: Karamatsu letting out a high pitched shouts of delight as he raced away from his home.


	4. The Slip-Up

"Damn it!" Chibita held his hand over the eye he had stung with the mascara wand. Before his pupil had completely reddened, he quickly sought out a rag and rinsed it in cold water from the bathroom sink. Applying pressure to his stinging eye, Chibita glanced at his outfit in the mirror with the other. Thanks to sufficient oden sales over the past two weeks, he treated himself by purchasing a forest green, button-up dress that stopped two inches above his knee and a pair of metallic gold wedges. As he removed the wet cloth from his eye, Chibita heard a familiar ringing of his cellphone. Reaching for his phone, his heart skipped when he realized the caller was his favorite Matsuno.

Going to the bedroom area of his flat, Chibita sat at his vanity dresser and tried his best to pull off a seductive, feminine tone while answering the phone: "Hello?"

"Is this my shining star?" Karamatsu's voice was husky and cool.

Chibita giddily laughed. "Who else would it be, you idjit?"

Karamatsu returned his laugh with a short chuckle. "I'm only teasing you, my star shine. Anyway, I have a bit of a request to ask of you—"

"Can you stop talking to yourself? I'm trying to watch something," a familiar monotone voice interrupted on Karamatsu's side of the conversation.

"I'm not talking to myself, Ichimatsu. I'm talking to my beautiful star, Chiharu." Chibita blushed at Karamatsu's compliment.

"Well, your conversation with your imaginary girlfriend can wait 'til after I finish my show. Oh, and by the way Osomatsu wanted me to remind you to unclog the toilet after you shit."

Karamatsu's voice became frantic and high-pitched. "T-That wasn't me!"

"Yes, it was. You shit like that every morn—"

"S-SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! I-I'LL TEXT YOU, CHIHARU!"

"She's not real."

"SHUT UP, ICHI-CATSU!"

Chibita's face remained in utter confusion as the phone violently clicked off the conversation. "I'll never understand these idjits," Chibita concluded as he resumed to applying copper brown eyeshadow. Just as he finished, a text from Karamatsu pinged onto his phone screen:

 **Forgive my brother. He's beyond immature. _**

Chibita was quick to reply, rereading his text before sending.

 **It's okay. Your brother seems weirder than you.**

 **Ha! Cute and funny? You're really out of this world, my star ;)**

Chibita snorted to himself at the punny flirtation. He rubbed a layer of cherry red gloss onto his lips before replying.

 **Hehe, you're pretty funny, too. So, what did you want to ask me?**

 **I have to prove something to my ignorant band of brothers. Could you come to my house and then walk me to your home? Sorry if it sounds silly, but I'd like for you to meet my brothers.**

 **So they don't say I'm imaginary, right?**

 **That's part of it, but also I want to show them how lucky I am to have a beauty like you on my arm. ;)**

 **Your flirting's making me blush, damn it! Okay, I'll leave right now. I'll be there in 15 minutes.**

 **I'll be awaiting your arrival with bated breath, my Chiharu.**

Running a brush through the wig upon his scalp, Chibita gave himself one final look in the mirror before grabbing his purse and leaving his apartment. Though he got to the sextuplet's home in under 15 minutes, he suddenly understood why women rarely walked in shoes with tall heels. Before knocking on the door, the cross-dresser leaned against the doorframe to remove his left wedge shoe and massage his aching foot. Chibita's involvement in comforting his sore soles made him unaware of the door opening and Jyushimatsu and Ichimatsu being in the process of exiting the house.

"HUSTLE, HUSTLE! MUSCLE, MUSCLE!"

Jyshimatsu's athletic chant made Chibita scream and topple backwards. The force of gravity caused his ass to hit the concrete sidewalk with a short bounce.

"Shit!" Chibita bit his lip at the pain radiating from his lower half.

"Are you okay, Chibita?"

"I'm fine, idjits—I mean—uh, no! I-I'm afraid you're mistaken. I'm Chiharu." He quickly tapped into his female voice while remembering the occasion at hand.

Jyushimatsu raised his eyebrows, his gaping smile slightly shrinking. "Why are you in a pretty dress, Chibita?"

"I AM NOT CHIB—" Chibita cut his heated protest short for he saw Ichimatsu towering over him with the brunette wig clenched in his extended hand and a sinister smile stretched across his face.


	5. Blackmail & Intimacy

"So…you're the one Karamatsu's been seeing?" Ichimatsu had brought the newly exposed Chibita, Jyshumatsu, and himself to an uninhabited room of the Matsuno home. The mischievous smirk still marked Ichimatsu's face and thus caused discomfort in Chibita.

"Y-Yes." Chibita was cursing himself in his head, still dumbfounded that his secret identity had been so easily uncovered. With his back literally against a wall, Chibita tried his best to dodge Ichimatsu's eyes glaring over him. He instead looked at Jyshumatsu, who was simply listening and flailing his oversized sleeves about in excitement over knowing a secret.

Ichimatsu released a short laugh. "And you named yourself Chiharu? Heh, I should have guessed it. It's like you weren't even trying to hide who you really are." Ichimatsu took a step forward and rested his elbow against the wall, which made his face only six inches from Chibita's; Chibita cringed at the heat of Ichimatsu's breath cascading along his forehead and nose area.

"L-Look," Chibita began with a tone of shaky courage, "I know your brother has a right to know this, but I want to be the one telling him. So I'd appreciate it if you two idjits kept your mouth shut about this."

"Well, I can certainly guarantee we'll keep your charade unfounded…for a price."

Chibita's eyebrows narrowed and his fist balled at his sides in frustration; he should have known Ichimatsu would play dirty. Through his teeth Chibita replied, "And what price is that?"

Ichimatsu's smirk evolved into a wicked smile that showed off his white and oddly sharp teeth. "For my silence, I want you to be my personal maid."

"YOUR WHAT?" Chibita felt red rise to his cheeks.

"You'll be my maid. You will do my laundry, cook oden meals for myself and my brother, and run errands for me. Oh, and you'll have to address me as Ichi-sama."

"Y-You have go to be—"

"Jyshumatsu?" Ichimatsu looked over his shoulder to his brother, who was now on his back with his legs doing bicycle kicks in the air. Jyshumatsu paused mid-motion and directed his attention to his brother.

"Nii-san?" Jyshumatsu gave an innocent, gaping smile to his sibling.

"Do not tell anyone about Chibita's secret. If you do tell without my say so, I won't let Chibita cook you any pork oden after our afternoon baseball practices."

Jyshumatsu suddenly sat up straight with pleading eyes and his hands between his crossed legs. "I won't tell! I promise to be good, nii-san! I double tentacle promise!" Jyshumatsu began flailing his arms about as if they were tentacles while keeping the same face of sincerity and pleading.

"Good. Then we all understand another. We will keep our mouths, and 'Chiharu' does whatever I say from now on."

Chibita bit his bottom lip hard. How dare Ichimatsu give him such a degrading role! Still, the cross-dressing man knew he was trapped. In defeat, he looked at his feet and gave a solemn nod. "Damn it, I'll do it."

Ichimatsu chuckled to himself in sadistic delight as he backed away from Chibita. "Excellent. Don't worry; I won't bug you on your date tonight, but I won't be so generous tomorrow." Ichimatsu reached into the pocket of his purple hoodie to retrieve Chibita's wig and gingerly placed it upon Chibita's head for him, making sure the hairs were neatly smoothed and styled around his face. Sliding open the door of the room, he ushered Chibita into the main hallway of the home. With Jyushimatsu following behind Ichimatsu and Chibita, the trio bound by blackmail walked into the dining area; inside, the remaining sextuplets were sitting around the table while having light conversation amongst themselves. Ichimatsu coughed loudly, gaining the attention of his brothers.

Returning to his regular monotone voice, he gestured toward the internally frustrated Chibita and said, "Karamatsu, this girl says she knows you."

Karamatsu, who was sitting between Choromatsu and Osomatsu, stood up in excitement and ran to embrace his love interest. "My star! Oh, how I missed you!" He placed his arm around Chibita's shoulders and adjusted his sunglasses with a prideful smile. "I'd love to stay and chat, my fellow Matsus, but it would not be gentlemanly to make _my date_ Chiharu here wait. Chiharu, bid my brothers a quick farewell so that we may go on our _third date_."

Chibita gave a half-hearted smile to Osomatsu, Choromatsu, and Todomatsu. "Um, nice to meet you," he shyly said in his feminine voice. He almost let a frown come across his face as he heard Ichimatsu snicker in his throat.

The three brothers at the table looked to Chibita briefly as if to process the person in front of them. Todomatsu suddenly gave a cry of glee and turned toward Choromatsu's direction. "Well, Choromatsu, it looks like someone owes me a week's worth of bubble tea!" Totty laughed happily as Choromatsu thrust his hand into his pocket and offered a handful of cash to him with a grumble.

"Wow, I guess I owe you both an apology," Osomatsu stated. "Sorry, but we were certain you were going to be one of Kara's imaginary girlfriends."

"He's made a new one almost everyday since we were kids!" piped Jyushimatsu who walked into the room and sat next to Todomatsu to watch him count his gambling reward.

"AHAHA! H-HE'S KIDDING! HAHAHA, MY LITTLE JYUSHIMATSU'S SOO FUNNY!" Karamatsu's overzealous exclamation and laughter gave Chibita the feeling that his brother was being completely honest. Karamatsu soon cleared his throat and collected himself so that his calm and cool personality showed again. "Anyway…my star and I better get going. We wouldn't want to waste any time that we could cherish together while on _our_ date."

With that, Karamatsu took "Chiharu's" hand in his and lead her towards the front door. As they stepped outside the home, Karamatsu faced Chibita and picked him up by his waist. Raising Chibita a foot off the ground, Karamatsu spun them both in a circular motion while letting out shouts of victorious glee. As much as Chibita's mind was still focused on his unfortunate fate, he couldn't help but smile back at the joyous boy embracing him so dearly against his body.

"Hey, spin a little slower, damn it. I'm getting kinda sick up here," Chibita ordered after close to a minute of spinning. Karamatsu stopped his rotation and gently brought Chibita back down to earth. He kept his arms around his date in a tight hug and rested his head against Chibita's shoulder.

"Forgive me, my starry beauty. I've just never been able to prove myself to my brothers like that in such a long time. Thanks to you, their respect for me will increase, and they'll think again before questioning my worth!" Karamatsu let out a final sound of giddiness and planted a kiss on Chibita's forehead. "You're truly a star, Chiharu. With you, my wishes have come true."

Chibita smiled up at him, finally distracted from his misfortune. "Come on, idjit," Chibita said while taking Karamatsu's hand and leading him in the direction of his home. "This date's not going to start itself."

XOXO

By the time Chibita had led Karamatsu back home, the sky had purpled from the sun setting. It didn't take them long to get settled once inside the apartment. Walking into the kitchen, Chibita began to rummage through the cabinets in search of a large snack bowl. After finding a green one hiding behind his pots and pans, he took out several bags of different flavored chips and poured even amounts of each into the bowl. Karamatsu watched his date silently, attempting to pull off cool and seductive poses against the kitchen counter whenever Chibita paused his snack preparation to give him a kind glance.

"Did you want tea or something?" Chibita opened the fridge and took out a strawberry soda for himself.

"Do you have any cola?"

"Um…" Chibita pushed aside some containers of milk and ingredients pre-diced for his oden cart. "Aha! Here's one!" Reaching on tip-toe, he was able to retrieve a cola can that had been nuzzled in the far right corner of the fridge and hand it to Karamatsu.

"So…" Karamatsu traced his finger along the top of unopened can. "Have you decided a movie for us to watch?" Though he kept his cool stance, the light crack in his voice indicated his true nervousness.

"Not yet, but I have a few to choose from that I know are good. They're all saved on my TV." Chibita took the Matsu boy's hand, guiding him the area of his flat where to his floor bed and television resided. Chibita began to readjust some pillows on his bed when he suddenly heard a high chattering sound. Glancing over his shoulder, he realized the sound was coming from Karamatsu. His teeth shakily clicked together and beads of sweat formed along his face. His sunglasses had slid down to the edge of his nose, revealing his pupils shrunk with panic.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Chibita stood up straight and reached to feel his forehead. "Damn it, you're burning hot! Are you sick or something?"

Suddenly, Karamatsu fell to the floor and bowed directly at Chibita's feet. In a shaky and high voice, Karamatsu spoke. "OH MY STAR CHIHARU! I AM HAPPY TO ACCEPT YOUR GRACIOUS OFFER! I SHALL DO ALL I CAN TO MAKE THE EXPERIENCE WONDERFUL FOR YOU! I SWEAR TO DO ALL YOU DESIRE AND NOT MAKE IT FEEL AS IF I DEFILED YOU IN YOUR OWN HOME!"

Chibita raised his eyebrows trying to process what was being said. Looking from Karamatsu to the bed, he grew bright red for he understood what Karamatsu was talking about. He quickly began to shake his head and hands to deny Karamatsu's idea.

"No, you idjit! My only television's in here, and I don't have much other furniture! We're not gonna do…that!"

Karamatsu raised his head with a slight look of confusion on his face. Then, after realizing his mistake, Karamatsu slammed his face against the floor again and loudly apologized. "OH MY CHIHARU! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I SWEAR I DO NOT EXPECT YOU TO GIVE ME SUCH AN OFFER TONIGHT NOR DO I WANT TO DEFILE YOUR BODY! IF YOU DESIRE ME TO GO, I WILL DO SO FOR I HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT A TERRIBLE NU—"

Chibita leaned down to Karamatsu's level and placed his finger under Karamatsu's chin. Without warning, he raised Karamatsu's face and kissed him firmly on the mouth. As he squeezed his eyes closed, Chibita felt the sextuplet slowly rise to his knees and wrap his own arms around him. Being drawn closer into Karamatsu's body left Chibita feeling both light-headed and heart-heavy. From the scent of his cologne mixed with leather to the way his fingers gently stroked Chibita's back, the kiss was an experience both strange and intoxicating to the oden lover. As their lips pulled away, they were left staring into another's eyes while embracing upon the wood floor. Chibita bit his lip and lowered his eyes to the floor, suddenly embarrassed for committing such an act. Karamatsu continued to massage Chibita's back with his fingers and finally broke the dwelling silence.

"W-Why did you do that, my star?"

Chibita toyed with a strand of his wig as he replied, "Well…I wanted you to stop shouting over nothing, damn it. Plus, I've been wanting to do that for awhile." That last part even shocked Chibita; it was the first time he admitted his yearning to be intimate with the wannabe cool guy aloud.

Karamatsu smiled and gave a small snicker. "I'm sorry for the confusion, my star. I'll try to stop jumping to conclusions from now on." Karamatsu stood up and extended his hand out to Chibita, who took it and hoisted himself to his feet with it. The two innocently held another's hands while giggling to themselves over what they had just experienced. Finally, Karamatsu sat Chibita onto the bed next to him. With pillows placed against their backs, he covered both their legs in the warm comforter and wrapped his arm around his lovely date. Karamatsu found the television's remote and offered it to Chibita.

"How about we watch a movie now?" Karamatsu's gentlemanly nature yet again brought a blush of infatuation to Chibita's cheeks. Chibita took the remote out of Karamatsu's hand and placed it on the bed, causing Karamatsu to raise an eyebrow. Scooting in closer against Karamatsu, Chibita gingerly ran his right hand through the Matsu's soft hair and whispered, "We can…but I want to keep kissing for awhile first, Karamatsu."

Karamatsu gave a soft chuckle as he pushed his glasses up onto the top of his head. Slowly adjusting their bodies so that he was almost hovering over Chibita, he kissed his date on the nose and said, "As you wish, my shining star."


	6. Morning Light Brings Ichimatsu & Fright

A ray of morning light cascaded across Chibita's sleeping form, its brightness prompting Chibita's eyes to groggily open. As he adjusted to the light, he began to turn over to the opposite side of the bed. Though he had expected it to be true, Chibita's heart still saddened over Karamatsu's absence from the bed. Memories of the night before slowly returned to him. Their kissing session had continued for another hour. Though their kisses were mostly soft and curious and placed along another's lips, face, and neck, some kisses incorporated the prolonged exploration of another's mouths with their tongues. Post their smooching session, the two lovers had settled into another's embrace to watch the film _Grease_ due to the Greasers outfits automatically catching Karamatsu's eye. The last Chibita could recall was Karamatsu humming along to the tune of "Grease Lightning" as he began to snuggle in closer to his date's chest and let his eyelids shut.

Chibita lazily sat up and stretched his arms with a groan. As he scratched his head, the waking man realized his wig had securely stayed on his head the entire night. He stood up and walked over to his vanity dresser and mirror; he quietly spent a few minutes brushing and restyling the edges of his wig once his comb was located. Gently placing the wig onto the surface of the dresser, he made eye contact with his mirror and gasped in horror. His brown eye shadow had so terribly smudged around his eyes and cheeks that he hardly recognized his own face. He quickly walked to the bathroom and scrubbed his face clean; relief overcame him as his suspicion of a rash hiding beneath the smudges was confirmed false.

As Chibita began to brush his teeth, the sound of his phone vibrating against a hard surface appeared. Spitting out the pasty residue in his mouth, he dashed into the kitchen and grabbed his vibrating phone off the counter. He answered the call, speaking in his feminine voice.

"Hello?"

"Come to the door." The familiar monotone voice made Chibita wish he had checked the caller ID before answering. Phone still pressed against his ear, Chibita slowly approached his door and peeked through the hole. Just as he suspected, his doorstep was unfortunately graced by the presence of Ichimatsu. Ichimatsu, dressed in his purple hoodie and oversized track pants, also had his phone to his ear and stared directly at the door with his famous indifferent expression. What scared Chibita most was the large black trash bag the sextuplet had slung over his shoulder.

"D-do you know what time it is, damn it?" Chibita tried his best to hide his fear of opening the door with irritation.

"It's 8am. Open the door." Ichimatsu didn't even blink as he spoke. Instead, his gaze now fixated directly at the peephole as if to tell Chibita he knew he was watching him. With a shaky hand and a feeling of being cornered, Chibita opened the door just enough for his face to show. As their eyes directly met, Ichimatsu's lips curled slightly into a smirk. Chibita gulped down the lump in his throat as he hung up his phone and continued to address the unwanted visitor.

"What do you want, idjit?" hissed Chibita, which inspired a low chuckle from Ichimatsu.

"I told you I wouldn't be so generous after last night. Well, it's tomorrow, and I have your first task to do for me." Ichimatsu placed his phone in his hoodie pocket and pushed the door wide, giving himself enough access to invade Chibita's home. Chibita backed up two steps as Ichimatsu slowly shut the door behind him, entrapping them both inside.

In one swift motion Ichimatsu dropped the trash bag to the floor, which almost landed directly on Chibita's bare feet in the process. Pointing to the bag while maintaining a dominant stance, Ichimatsu lowly demanded, "Open the bag, maid."

Chibita remained immobile for a moment, still trying to adjust to the situation at hand. Fearfully, Chibita bent down and widened the opening of the bag. The oden lover soon straightened up again and violently slammed his hand over his nose and mouth as the smell of hot sweat and cat hair seeped forth into the atmosphere.

"DAMN IT, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"

Ichimatsu's smirk grew at Chibita's repulsion. He bent down himself and completely exposed what was inside the bag: a giant heap of dirty purple and yellow clothes. "Before you go to work this afternoon, you will clean every last piece of clothing in this bag."

Chibita narrowed his eyes in anger as he squeezed his nose between his fingers. The nauseating feeling in his stomach led him to the assumption that these clothes had been left unclean at least a few days. Chibita's lack of a vocal response seemed to displease Ichimatsu for his smile began to dim. The sextuplet suddenly bent over and reached inside the bag, picking up a purple striped sock with its sole darkened from dirt. Ichimatsu took a step forward, sock extended out to Chibita; Chibita automatically withdrew multiple steps away from him, which lead him to reenter the kitchen area of the flat.

"DON'T TOUCH ME WITH THAT, YOU IDJIT!"

"Say 'Yes, Ichi-sama,' and I'll put it back." Ichimatsu advanced more quickly this time, causing Chibita to accidently trap himself against the breakfast bar in the center of the kitchen. Ichimatsu pressed the sock closer to his face, his upper hand of dominance causing his smirk to become distinctively large again.

Chibita's eyes began to water forcefully, not from emotions but from the raw, putrid stench omitting from the sock now dangling above his head. Weakened from disgust, Chibita stuttered what Ichimatsu desired to hear: "Y-Yes, Ichi-sama."

"Say it again. Louder."

"Yes, Ichi-sama!" Chibita's nose began to feel sore he was pinching it so tight. What was worse was the way Ichimatsu stared at him as he withdrew the sock; sheer victory and sadistic satisfaction marked his face. As Ichimatsu threw the sock back towards the hallway, Chibita released the pressure from his nose and began to desperately gasp in air. Between inhales, Chibita scowled up at Ichimatsu with grave distain.

"WHAT…THE HELL! ARE YOU…TRYING TO KILL ME…DAMN IT!

Ichimatsu nonchalantly shook his head. "I had to make sure you understood what position you're in. The sooner you understand my power over you, the easier this will be for you to handle. Besides, you're quite low on my list of people I desire dead." The sextuplet suddenly reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a mouth mask with a cartoon design of a cat-like smile on it. Extending it to Chibita, Ichimatsu added, "Use this while you clean the laundry. It'll make it easier to breathe."

Chibita roughly snatched the mask from his hand and placed it around his face. He closed his eyes for a moment, beginning to feel his normal breathing pace return to him. Once he reopened his eyes, he saw Ichimatsu was still standing over him but his expression was more stern than sinister. "The sooner you do this," Ichimatsu stated, "the sooner you can go to work. I'll be back here at 9pm tonight to pick up the laundry." He began to go down the hallway again, but paused to look over his shoulder with a smirk and add, "Oh, and make sure 'Chiharu' is here with something ready for me to eat when I come by. You can tell her what I like, huh, Chibita?"

Chibita could only glare at him, too exhausted from catching his breath to spit any verbal venom in his direction. His stare prompted a bout of chuckles from his blackmailer as he exited the apartment, slowly closing the door behind him.

Finally alone, Chibita sank to the kitchen floor is despair. _He's going to make my life hell,_ Chibita thought to himself. _I want to tell Karamatsu the truth…but I don't want to lose him._ He rubbed his still watering eyes and forced himself to stand up again. Chibita then went to his closet and changed from last night's now wrinkled date outfit into his everyday work clothes. After putting sandals on his feet and inhaling a strong amount of air, he walked back to the trash bag and, after slinging it over his own shoulder, exited the house and headed around the corner to the apartment complex's laundry mat.

 _If this keeps Karamatsu by my side, then it's worth it._


	7. Totty Talk at the Oden Cart

Chibita let out a lengthy yawn while spooning more ingredients to his oden concoction. Ichimatsu's abrupt laundry chore took him a good two hours to complete. Though the clothes were neatly folded and smelling like Chibita's ocean-breeze detergent, the stench still haunted his nostrils for an hour after finishing the job. Due to the need to shower away any stench lingering on his own body, Chibita had missed what he called the "lunch rush" at his favorite selling spot. Luckily, a high school sporting event was taking place at the city park, which brought in enough customers to make up for it; the fact that Chibita always pre-prepped his dishes prior to opening wasn't a bad thing either.

Now it was almost 3:30pm, and the lessening amount of passerby traffic gave Chibita the chance to recollect his thoughts. He was still spellbound at how quickly the highest moment of his life had spiraled into one of weakness and fear. The more he thought about his current interactions with Karamatsu and Ichimatsu, the harder it was for him to accept that were so closely related to another. Though they shared the same features, their minds were on total opposite spectrums; this outcome left Chibita inquisitive and uneasy. He became so engulfed with mentally comparing the two sextuplets that he had not noticed the youngest Matsuno, dressed in a pink-and-white striped tee and khaki shorts, take a seat at his oden chart.

"Afternoon, Chibita," Todomatsu greeted in a cheery voice.

Chibita returned to reality and gave a delayed reply. "Oh, uh…afternoon, Todomatsu." He went back to stirring in more seasoning.

Todomatsu leaned forward a bit and whispered, "So how's _everything_ going?" He was purposely adding emphasis to his voice.

"Uh…everything's fine, thanks." Chibita raised his eyebrow as Todomatsu began to laugh like a child in the schoolyard.

"No need to lie to me, Chibita. I know _everything_ that's been going on with you lately, especially with your _love_ life...with _Kara_."

Chibita dropped the ladle he was using to stir onto the ground. Red emerged onto his cheeks as he noticed Totty dawned a smile that was a more innocent version of Ichimatsu's smirk. "Y-you…I have no clue what you're talking about, idjit." Chibita bent down to pick up the ladle while the youngest Matsu rolled his eyes.

"You can quit the act, Chibita. We've known another since we were kids. I know what every feature of yours looks like, no matter how much makeup you put on." He rested his chin on the back of his hands, amused by the nervous sweat forming on Chibita's forehead.

Now on the defensive, the oden salesman broke out in uncomfortable laughter. "HA HA! Oh, m-me in makeup? That's…I wouldn't even…HAHAHAHA!" Chibita thought he was doing quite well at denying his case, but Todomatsu's confused expression made him understand that he only made himself seem like a psycho. Chibita replaced his dramatic laughter with a defeated sigh. "How did you find out, idjit?"

Todomatsu gleamed with pride. "Oh, it wasn't hard in the slightest. To start, those marks on your cheeks are rarely found on other people around here. Since you wore more of a 'natural' look when you came over our house, I could make them out easily. They were the first big giveaway for me. Also, I know your height all too well. You're one of the few guys that's shorter than me; I'd never forget such a trait as fortunate for me as that, mind you. Finally, you've used that girly voice around me before."

"I-I have not!"

Totty shook his head in disagreement and stared at him through half-lidded eyes. "Yes, you have. Remember when we would prank call Iyami whenever we had sleepovers as kids? You'd use the exact same, girly voice to pretend to be a tax collector or a dentist trying to collect money. I remember it clearly because I was the one to help you perfect the pitch and everything." He winked at Chibita and teasingly added, "I'm just flattered you kept practicing my techniques all this time."

"Let me guess," Chibita snapped, "you're gonna ask for something in return for your silence, right? Damn it, you idjits are all alike! You can't help but manipulate me!" He bit his lip in frustration.

Todomatsu gave a genuine frown at Chibita's sudden hostility. "That's not my intent at all. In fact, I came to tell you that I hope you and my brother stay together for a long time."

"W-what?"

"Ever since you two started dating, Karamatsu's been acting like less of an attention whore around us. In fact, he just talks about you for a bit when we eat together and then he spends the rest of the day on the roof quietly writing love letters to you or going for walks around town just to enjoy the day. I can finally take a decent selfie for my blog without him trying to butt into the picture and nag about us needing to spend more 'quality brother time' together. It's like a dream come true."

Chibita relaxed. Though Todomatsu's support of their relationship was based on selfishness, he still was happy to avoid adding another threat to his secret. As an act of gratitude, Chibita made a chicken oden skewer and extended it to his visitor. Totty gave a cheerful smile as he accepted the present and began chewing into it.

"So, I'm assuming Kara doesn't have a clue who you really are, hm?"

"N-no," mumbled Chibita as he prepared more skewers for future sales that night.

"You should tell him, Chibita. It's only fair to him." Todomatsu finished his oden stick and threw it into the trash bag hanging off the cart.

"It's not that easy, damn it. I mean, what if he…" Chibita stopped himself, too scared to think or speak of Karamatsu rejecting him.

Todomatsu must have gotten the hint because he reached across the counter and caringly held Chibita's hand. In a serious but gentle voice, the young Matsu advised, "As a love expert and someone who knows a lot about my brother, I think sooner is better when it comes to telling him about this. Trust me; it'll be worse if he finds out on his own."

Chibita sighed, looking at his feet. "I guess that makes sense."

"Just think about it, Chibita. Oh, and thanks for the oden!" With a final smile and a wave, Todomatsu strolled off into the distance and left Chibita once again alone with his thoughts and his precious oden.


	8. Guess Who's Ruined Dinner?

Chibita sat on a stool by his breakfast bar, anxiously swinging his feet back and forth as they dangled in mid-air. The digital clock on his phone read "8:57 PM" in bold white letters. Ichimatsu would soon be arriving. After getting home from work at 8:00pm, he immediately began disrobing his apron and oden-stained work clothes from his body. After ensuring the completed laundry had remained by the door inside the large trash bag they originated from, Chibita rummaged through his own closet for a clean, Chiharu-worthy outfit. Eventually, he located a purple blouse and black midi skirt he got from a thrift store. After pairing those items with his kitten heels and sheer stockings, Chibita purposely did a half-assed makeup routine by only applying purple eye shadow and mauve lip-gloss. Once he added his wig to the equation, he made sure to place some leftover oden skewers and soup on the kitchen counter so that he had some type of dinner for his blackmailer.

For the past ten minutes, Chibita had sat upon that stool in anticipation for Ichimatsu's arrival. With Todomatsu's advice ringing in his mind, Chibita made a tough decision: he will tell Ichimatsu off tonight and then confess his secret to Karamatsu. Though he had practiced the things he'd say to both Matsunos in his head since earlier that evening, nervous nausea still discomforted his stomach.

"Calm down, idjit," Chibita whispered to himself in discipline and reassurance. Still, he squeaked in fear as two knocks made contact with his front door. After inhaling a large breath, he left his pedestal of safety and went to open the front door. As Chibita swung the door ajar, he let out a gasp as a strange brown creature jumped up on him and knocked him to the floor. As Chibita was contemplating whether the creature was some kind of threat, he felt a sloppy, warm tongue rub against his cheek.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Chibita manage to exclaim.

"JYUSHIMATSU," Ichimatsu said in a high and stern voice, "HEEL." As soon as the command was given, the creature backed away from Chibita's body and pranced next to Ichimatsu's side. Indeed, the creature was nothing more than Jyushimatsu dressed in a German shepherd dog suit.

"Yeck!" Chibita said in disgust at the realization, violently rubbing off the saliva saturated on his face. "Damn it, what's he doing here?"

Ichimatsu swung the end of Jyushimatsu's leash in his hand and patted Jyushimatsu's head, making his brother yip with glee. "He likes me to walk him before bed. I told him you wouldn't mind if he came along and stayed for dinner." He gave Chibita a testing glance and added, "You _don't_ mind, do you?"

Chibita stood up from the hardwood floor and dusted off his outfit. "No, I guess."

"No what?" A hint of Ichimatsu's smirk surfaced.

Chibita let out a sigh, knowing he had to play along for a while before revealing his big decision to Ichimatsu. "No…Ichi-sama."

Ichimatsu gave a low chuckle as he ushered Jyushimatsu past Chibita and into the kitchen. "I thought so. Now, be a good maid and get that dinner ready for us, hmm?" He sat on one of the breakfast bar stools while Jyushimatsu leaned against the bar with his arms crossed and his tail wagging.

 _Stupid NEETs_ , Chibita thought to himself as he went to the counter and reheated the oden leftovers with the help of the stove. In seven minutes, the food had been plated and placed before Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu. Jyushimatsu didn't hesitate to eat; his whole face was submerged in the bowl, loudly slurping and munching the meal. Ichimatsu only examined at his meal, not even lifting a finger towards his utensils.

"What? Is it cold or something?" Chibita gazed into the oden bowl, looking for any unappetizing objects. Ichimatsu stretched his arms behind his head with a groan before turning his whole body to face Chibita.

"My hands are too tired from walking Jyushimatsu around. You'll have to feed me." Ichimatsu's sly smile slightly gaped open, exposing his bottom row of sharp teeth. Chibita felt his cheeks burn rouge from embarrassment at the unexpected request. However, Chibita obeyed and spooned a helping of soup into his mouth; as he continued to feed the purple-hooded Matsuno, he did his best to avoid looking at his half-lidded gaze, which sparkled in an unusually lively manner. When the soup took up only a fifth of the bowl, Ichimatsu motioned Chibita to stop.

"That'll be enough for me, _Chiharu_." Ichimatsu made sure to say the oden lover's alias in a kind yet maniacal tone. Sensing Ichimatsu's content aura, Chibita decided it was best to gear his plan into action. Using extra innocence in his female voice, Chibita propositioned Ichimatsu.

"Ichi-sama, there's something I want to tell you."

"Oh, do you?" Curiosity was in Ichimatsu's reply.

"Um…I think it'd be best to tell you while we're alone." Chibita eyed Jyushimatsu, who was now in the process of licking any last oden morsels off the borders of the bowl. Getting the hint, Ichimatsu looked over his shoulder and gave a sharp whistle, which immediately grabbed Jyushimatsu's attention.

"Jyushimatsu, I'm going to be staying here for awhile. You'll have to take the laundry and go home now." As Jyushimatsu began to whimper in despair, he added, "If you hurry, you'll be able to watch those baseball game reruns on TV that you love so much."

Jyushimatsu's whining ceased, and he suddenly stood up on his two feet again. With a dopey smile stretched underneath his dog nose mask, he ran to the hallway, grabbed the trash bag of clothes, and rushed through the front door. Chibita and Ichimatsu could hear him speed away down the road while chanting, "HUSTLE, HUSTLE! MUSCLE, MUSCLE!" A moment of silence passed between the remaining men in the home until Chibita gained enough bravery to speak.

"Listen, I have something to tell—"

"I already know what you're going to say." Ichimatsu stepped off the stool and stood tall in front of Chibita.

"Y-you know?"

"I do, and I want you to know I don't blame you for how you feel." Ichimatsu's voice was calm and sincere while his smile was wild and bewildering.

Chibita let out a relieved sigh and a nervous laugh. "Oh, thank God! You just made this a whole lot easier. I mean, you've been such an asshole to me so it's no surprise that I've made the decision to—"

"Is that what you like, maid? Me being a harsh, overbearing asshole?" Ichimatsu gave a low laugh and pinned Chibita against the breakfast bar with his arms resting on either side of the cross-dresser.

"Whoa, wait a minute, damn it!" Chibita was clearly frightened of Ichimatsu's sudden aggression. "I-I'm beginning to think you don't understand."

Ichimatsu was clearly ignoring his statement, too caught up in the tension he had created between them. Leaning his lips close to Chibita's ear, Ichimatsu whispered in a naughty tone, "Does my maid want to be her master's little masochist tonight?"

Chibita's whole face turned red. In a swift motion, Chibita ducked underneath Ichimatsu's arms and popped up on the other side of him. Walking backwards and extending his arms out to keep Ichimatsu at a distance, Chibita began to violently shake his head to deny Ichimatsu's offer.

"Idjit, that's not what I want! I wanted to tell you that I'm done with your crap, damn it! I'm going to go and tell Karamatsu the truth before this lie gets any deeper." Chibita's heart was banging against his ribcage, and his adrenaline was clearly heightened.

Ichimatsu turned to face Chibita again and took two steps forward. Placing his hands in his hoodie pocket, he scanned Chibita from bottom to top. His smile and sparkling eyes were replaced with his normal, half-interested expression. In a nonchalant voice, Ichimatsu stated, "He'll never accept you, Chibita."

"Huh?" Chibita's stance loosened up a bit and his cheeks became less heated with mortification.

"Shittymatsu would never accept you. I mean, have you even thought this situation out in full? He's always wanted Karamatsu _girls,_ not men. You think he'll be happy to find out that his lucky star is nothing more than a scam? No, he'll be cursing and crying until his eyes are sore…Besides, it's not just your relationship at stake. Even if we've known another since we were kids, do you really think Karamatsu will want to preserve a friendship with someone who's deceived him so terribly?" Ichimatsu answered the question for Chibita by shaking his head in disagreement as he moved closer to a now frozen Chibita. "He'll do everything he can to forget about you. You'll be nothing to him."

"T-that's a lie! He wouldn't do…" Chibita's panic prevented the completion of his protest. What Ichimatsu said seemed to be the truth. He had lied to Karamatsu, and he knew this wasn't the first time he had gravely tricked the wannabe cool guy. Chibita's mind envisioned Karamatsu's saddened face shouting words of disgust and rage at him after hearing his secret. He imagined himself standing by his oden chart and being cursed at or blatantly ignored by Karamatsu for the rest of his life. The potential of losing his favorite Matsu's love and friendship pained Chibita beyond words. So consumed by his fearful thoughts, Chibita was shocked when Ichimatsu had come close enough to cup his chin gently in his hand. Raising Chibita's face to meet his glance, Ichimatsu stared harshly into the shorter male's now watering eyes.

"The longer you keep your mouth shut and the longer you obey my demands, the longer you get to have him." Ichimatsu used his thumb to wipe the single tear that had dripped down Chibita's cheek. Ichimatsu scanned Chibita once more and added, "Besides, I think our arrangement has been fated. After all, you're even wearing my favorite color tonight…Must be a sign, hm?"

Normally, Chibita would have dismissed Ichimatsu's implication and argued his clothes were a matter of conscience not admiration. Unfortunately, those haunted by the possibility of tragic love slowly become a shell of themselves. Thus, Chibita let a last row of tears stream out as he replied in melancholy, "Yes, Ichi-sama."

To Chibita's surprise, Ichimatsu wrapped him in a hug and stroked his back as if to reassure his newest person of interest. After a good few moments of a motionless Chibita laying his head on Ichimatsu's shoulder, Ichimatsu pulled away and rejuvenated his domineering, stern voice.

"Good…Now, you upset me with your outburst, Chiharu."

"I'm sorry, Ichi-sama." Chibita was too sad to even cringe at the traveling caress of Ichimatsu's fingertips against his back.

"I know you are, and I know how you can make it up to me." He took Chibita by the hand and led him towards the direction of the bed. He sat on the bed and beckoned Chibita to join his side. Chibita slowly obeyed, nervous for what Ichimatsu had in store.

"Sit up straight. Prop yourself up with pillows if you must."

As Chibita sullenly positioned a pillow between himself and the wall, Ichimatsu laid his head into Chibita's lap while lying on his back. Staring up at his maid, Ichimatsu firmly demanded, "Pet me."

"W-what?"

"PET. ME." Ichimatsu's eyes grew cold with annoyance.

"W-where?" Chibita lightly asked, not wishing to deal with an upset Ichimatsu along with his other problems spinning in his head.

"Wherever you think is best, maid." Ichimatsu's smirk returned as he watched Chibita move his hand onto his hair. As Chibita awkwardly stroked the strands of his blackmailer's hair between his fingers, Ichimatsu closed his eyes and let out bouts of soft, peaceful purrs. Chibita raised his eyes to the moon peering in on them through his small apartment windows. Even with mewling Ichimatsu's cuddly nature warming Chibita's lap and the sky shimmering with a godly amount of stars, nothing in this reality seemed hopeful to Chibita.


	9. The Morning-after Mishap

Slumber never visited Chibita that night. How could it? Aside from the gloom overcasting in his psyche, Ichimatsu's refusal to sleep anywhere but across Chibita's lap made it hard for Chibita to get comfortable. All Chibita could do was stare at the adjacent wall in silence, recalling all the bittersweet memories of Karamatsu he had achieved in these past few days. Every smile, every tear, every touch Chibita had experienced in the presence of the second eldest Matsu was recalled. If his eyes weren't already so spent on tears, he imagined he would have continued crying as each vision rebirthed itself in his mind.

Morning sluggishly arrived, dragging cloudy skies and subtle winds with it. As Ichimatsu's eyes fluttered open, Chibita began to realize how numb his legs were from supporting his blackmailer's weight all night. Ichimatsu lifted his body up on all fours and stretched himself like a feline, smacking his lips slightly in the process. He soon knelt in front of Chibita and addressed him in his normal monotone voice.

"Oi, Chibita, you look terrible. Didn't you sleep?"

"It's hard to sleep with someone sprawled across you for hours," Chibita muttered as he began to shift his legs slowly up and down to regain feeling in them.

"Ah, I see." Ichimatsu didn't seem bothered by being the obstructer of Chibita's sleep. Rather than apologize or further dwell on the topic, Ichimatsu began to tug at the collar of his hoodie. "Your house is too damn warm, Chibita."

"I'd rather it be warm than freezing." Chibita began to roughly and repetitively rub both hands up and down his stocking-covered legs, hoping to reduce the numbness faster. Ichimatsu gave a slight groan in response and tugged off his hoodie, revealing the tight, gray tank top underneath. As Chibita glanced at the sextuplet, he saw a tattered hole in the left corner of the collar. Reddened claw marks and aged scars were also visible on the pale flesh covering Ichimatsu's shoulders and forearms. Ichimatsu placed his hoodie on the floor before returning his attention to Chibita.

"Are you hungry?"

"Not right now."

"Well, _I_ am hungry now." Ichimatsu looked regretful about making that comment as Chibita shot him a grim look.

"Then go home and get yourself something," Chibita suggested in a passive aggressive tone. There was no way he was going to drop everything and cook him breakfast after the night Ichimatsu put him through.

Instead of following Ichimatsu's demand, he moved his hands onto Chibita's right leg. The sudden contact startled the oden lover, who swatted his hand away roughly in response. "Don't fucking touch me, idjit." Chibita sternly commanded.

Ichimatsu placed his hand back to his side and stared at the bed with a frown. "My legs fall asleep like that all the time. I know how to massage the feeling away. I was only going to help you, promise." Ichimatsu glanced back at Chibita, who had paused putting pressuring on his legs. As much as he wanted Ichimatsu to disappear, relieving the aching in his tendons was his top priority. Chibita hesitantly removed his hands from his legs and gave a nod to Ichimatsu, consenting to the offer. Ichimatsu nodded to confirm he understood, and gently placed Chibita's left leg into his lap. While giving Chibita reassuring glances, he gently massaged his fingers in a circular motion along Chibita's shin.

"There. Don't your joints feel much better?"

"You'll never know." If it hadn't been for the seething anger he had for Ichimatsu, he would have admitted how nice the massage felt.

Ichimatsu laughed in response. "I know you're upset, but it's going to pass. I know you, Chibita; you can't hold a grudge. Besides, you should just imagine all the dates you'll get to have with Shittymatsu after completing tasks for me."

Chibita narrowed his eyes in frustration at how unaffected Ichimatsu was to his rage. If his legs weren't so tense, he would've kicked Ichimatsu square in the nose.

"Are you feeling any less numb in this leg?" Ichimatsu questioned after several minutes of silently massaging his "maid."

Chibita bent his leg slightly upward as Ichimatsu supported its underside with his hands; the pins-and-needles feeling had finally eradicated. "Looks like it's gone away."

"Okay. Then let me switch to the other—"

"ICHIMATSU!"

Both Chibita and Ichimatsu straightened up and turned their direction to the sound. Glowering at them beside Chibita's vanity dresser was none other than Karamatsu. Karamatsu stood dressed in his pajama shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of blue slippers. His sunglasses had slid down to the very brim of his nose, exposing his brows firmly pressed against his narrowed eyes. His nostrils flared as the darkest shade of red imaginable pigmented his facial flesh.

"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Chibita screeched.

"I had asked where Ichimatsu was this morning at breakfast, and I was able to get Jyushimatsu to say he never came home from my star's house!" Karamatsu's glare frightened Chibita; never had he experienced such harshness on his face.

Suddenly understanding why he was so furious, Chibita lifted his leg out of Ichimatsu's hands and back against the bed. "I-IT"S NOT WHAT YOU THINK—"

"Heh heh…surprised, Shittymatsu?" Ichimatsu interrupted, giving a slight grin at his brother. "You should have known by now that Chiharu and I were well acquainted with another."

Chibita's jaw dropped in horror. Frantically, Chibita shook his head in denial. "DAMN IT, WE DON'T KNOW ANOTHER IN THAT WAY AT ALL!"

Ichimatsu gave a sinister laugh and glared Chibita dead in the eye. "Oh? So, it's a lie that you had me over for dinner last night?"

"W-well, no, but it—"

"And didn't we just spend the whole night together…in your bed?" Ichimatsu smirked so wide that his sharp teeth shown passed his lips.

"T-that's not what happened and you know it, damn it!" Chibita helplessly looked at Karamatsu, who now had a vein to throb on his forehead. "P-please listen, Karamatsu. This idjit's making this shit—"

Suddenly, Ichimatsu's lips rammed sloppily against his own. Chibita automatically began clawing at his shoulder in protest, which only made Ichimatsu grasp the back of Chibita's neck and pull him deeper into the kiss. The invasive act ended as quickly as it began, thanks to Karamatsu lunging at Ichimatsu with a feverish scream. Chibita was rolled forward a bit as Karamatsu pried Ichimatsu away and pinned his brother against the hardwood floor. Ichimatsu squirmed as Karamatsu positioned himself so he was kneeling on either side of Ichimatsu's body with one hand firmly grasped against his throat. Three swift punches to Ichimatsu's head soon followed, which made Chibita cry out in concern.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, DAMN IT? STOP!" Chibita maneuvered himself across the bed so that he was right behind Karamatsu. He tried to hold back Kara's punching arm but quickly was shrugged off. As Chibita glanced over Karamatsu's shoulder, he saw the flesh on Ichimatsu's cheek was purpling and Ichimatsu's lip had split enough for a thin stream of blood to travel down his chin. Despite the injury, Ichimatsu choked a few insults towards Karamatsu.

"You honestly think…beating me up…will stop this relationship from continuing? You're even more…of a moron than…I thought." Ichimatsu coughed a few times due to the pressure Karamatsu applied to his throat.

"That will never happen, Ichimatsu! You'll never have what my star and I do!" Karamatsu responded heatedly, forcibly slamming the back of Ichimatsu's head against the floorboards. Chibita cried out again for him to stop, but Karamatsu continued to ignore the request.

Ichimatsu released a dark chuckle, licking the blood off his bottom lip. "Poor Shittymatsu…too blinded by his own desires…to see the truth. Trust me, Shittymatsu, she and I…will become even closer than you ever could. And do you know why? It's…because I'll always be better than you, Shittymatsu…in every shape and form." The comment made Karamatsu pause one of his punches in mid-air.

"Y-you'll never be better than me! I'm older! I-I'm wiser!" Karamatsu's voice had become shaken, and his grip on his brother's throat loosened.

"You're also pathetic…and easily forgettable, Shittymatsu. It's no wonder you can't ever find someone to love you."

Those last words cut deep into Karamatsu. Slowly, Karamatsu removed his hand off his brother's throat and stood up. Though Chibita couldn't see his face, he noticed streams of tears fall from his chin and hit the cloth of Ichimatsu's clothing. Karamatsu looked at Chibita over his shouldering with one of his bloodshot, damp eyes. Chibita attempted to hold his hand, but Karamatsu moved out of reach. With shaky breath, he said to Chibita, "If this is who you prefer…then I hope you two last longer than we did." Karamatsu sprinted out of the flat after that, his tearful wails still audible as he ran down the street.

"WAIT, IDJIT!" Chibita automatically sprung up from the bed and chased his heartbroken lover down the street, leaving Ichimatsu lying on the floor in pain and callous glee.


	10. Truth's Reveal

As Chibita edged the corner of his street, he realized he had lost sight and hearing of the tearful Karamatsu. As violent bouts of icy, forceful air propelled at his direction, the oden seller began wishing he had changed out of his dress and stockings or at least grabbed a coat before he rushed out the door. The confused stares of the few strangers he passed on the street didn't help the situation either. Hugging himself in an attempt to preserve body heat, he trekked through the city streets in hopes of catching a glimpse of his heartbroken sextuplet. It wasn't until he reached the entrance of the park that Chibita finally identified the faint sound of wailing once more.

The wind began to calm as Chibita followed the park's cemented walkway and scanned the park for any trace of his person of interest. He brushed the wig's wind-tussled bangs from his eyes as he walked near a group of floral shrubs surrounding a few cherry trees. Chibita's hopelessness slightly dwindled when he saw the park fountain, realizing he was now back at the spot of his first date with Karamatsu. More importantly, he noticed a young man in a blue pajama shirt, jeans, and slippers hunched over in despair upon the very bench on which the date took place. Inhaling a nervous breath, Chibita cautiously sat on the opposite end of the bench while facing the direction of his favorite NEET.

"K-Karamatsu?" Chibita bit his lip in anticipation for a response. Karamatsu only paused his sobs to peek at him. As soon as he recognized his visitor, Karamatsu let out a gloomy moan.

"Must you continue to torture me, Chiharu? Don't you see I have accept my brother winning the battle for your love and wish to embrace my inevitable loneliness?" Karamatsu's voice was heavily marked with drama and sorrow.

"I'm not here to torture you, idjit! I'm here to fix this."

"Fix what? The fact that you fell for my brother or the fact that I found out the dirty secret you two have been hiding from me this whole time?"

"Please believe me, Kara. I want nothing to do with that asshole after the shit he's done! He refused to leave me alone, damn it! He was only at my house to blackmail me all because he knew…something about me." Chibita's familiar twinge of fear prompted him to avert the expression of the whole truth.

Karamatsu raised his head a bit, now showcasing a confused glare on his face. "He was blackmailing you? Why would he…what did he know?"

It pained Chibita to look upon Karamatsu's face. Being a sloppy crier left Karamatsu's eyes bloodshot and his reddened nose dripping slight streams of mucus. Chibita couldn't figure out which was worse: the physical disarray of Karamatsu's face or the overwhelming feeling of worry and gloom that face ignited in his heart. Chibita stared at his feet to break the tense eye contact they were sharing.

"What did he know about you?" Karamatsu was sitting up straight now, fully invested in discovering the issue on Chibita's mind.

"I…I don't want you to hate me."

"Who said I would—""

"I KNOW YOU WOULD! I KNOW YOU'D NEVER FORGIVE ME! I'D…I'd hate me too if I was in your place." Chibita clenched the cloth draped around his knees and shook in shame and sadness. The gentle touch of Karamatsu's hand resting on his upper back momentarily surprised and soothed Chibita.

Wiping his eyes on the back of his pajama sleeve, the Matsuno scooted himself closer to Chibita. With a newfound tone of comfort, Karamatsu replied, "Don't be afraid to tell me, my star. I care about you far too much to judge you."

"…Promise not to freak out too much?"

"Love will give me strength to hold back any shock I may have."

"Or hate me?"

"I could never hate one I'm so dearly fond of, my star." Karamatsu placed his fingers under Chibita's chin and tenderly turned his lover's face toward his own, making their gazes reconnect. Karamatsu lovingly stroked Chibita's cheek and gave a sincere, cool smile that offered Chibita the last push of bravery that he needed.

Another deep breath later, Chibita reached his right hand toward the side of his wig. Interlocking the fibers between his fingers, Chibita closed his eyes tight as he hesitantly slid the wig off his head, arching as the chilled air cascaded against his bald scalp. He was now completely exposed.

Moments passed before Chibita realized he had not sensed any verbal reaction from Karamatsu. Opening his left eye, he discovered the sextuplet did have a reaction. Karamatsu looked almost frozen in place on the bench. His pupils had shrunk to the size of rice grains while his skin had become an unhealthy shade of white. Though his mouth was agape and his bottom lip trembled, not a single word forced its way forward. Chibita immediately blushed red in shame, turning his head away and clutching the wig to his chest.

"You said you wouldn't freak out, idjit!" Chibita defensively snapped.

Karamatsu stuttered in response. "C-C-Chibita?!"

"Look, let me explain! It wasn't even supposed to go this far. I thought you'd piss off after the nightclub, but then we went on a date and…it was the best and cheesiest thing I've ever experienced in my life, okay? I just wanted to preserve what was happening between us after that." Chibita's grip of the wig grew firmer as Karamatsu continued to offer his dumfounded expression.

"Y-you're my st-st-st-star?!"

"Yes…I've been your star and your Chiharu all this time." Chibita was now the bench dweller hunched over in despair, certain he was in route of losing the one he cared for so dearly. Karamatsu became more animated, examining all sides of Chibita's face and body as if to verify the truth. Though his glance wasn't cruel, getting so closely examined by Karamatsu prompted tears to fall from Chibita's eyes. In melancholy, Chibita added, "Now do you understand why Ichimatsu was in my house? I couldn't let him tell you about who I really was because I knew you'd think this was another trick or scam or something! Idjit, I don't know how, but ever since that damn time we danced I've just wanted to be held and kissed and cared for by you. You are an obnoxious, eccentric romantic that I want to just punch and kiss at the same time, damn it!"

"Chi-Chibita?"

"We've known another since we were kids, and you've become the only one of your idjit brothers that I get most excited to see. The nights we've spent together this past week have only made it worse! I don't care if you hate me or never want to see me again after this. Just…" Chibita paused as he stood from the bench with his body facing away from Karamatsu. "…please know that I meant every word and every action that I gave you. I…I loved being your star, Karamatsu."

Hot tears decorated his face as he began to walk away. _You've lost him, idjit_ , Chibita mentally scolded. _You've lost one of the best people you've ever known all because of your cowardice, your deceit, and your—_

The sudden feeling of fingers grasping his forearm blocked his thought from completing. Chibita's face was soon pressing against the fabric of Karamatsu's pajama shirt, and his sides were being squeezed by Karamatsu's hug. The NEET's left hand stroked the arch of Chibita's back as the right hand gently caressed the nape of Chibita's neck. Before Chibita could protest or even question what was going on, Karamatsu began to speak in his cool, romantic voice.

"I should have known better than to disregard the fact that my dearest friend had fallen so hopelessly in love with me."

Chibita blushed in embarrassment. "I-I didn't say that, damn it!"

Karamatsu ignored him as he planted a small peck upon Chibita's bare scalp. "I was so focused on your beautiful guise that I grew blind to the signs of the truth. Did you truly think the only way you could win my affections was to dress as a Karamatsu girl?"

"W-well, I guess that's true in a way."

Karamatsu let out a soft chuckle and pulled Chibita far enough from his body so he could look at his face with half-lidded eyes. "I'd be lying if I said my eyes have wandered upon the bodies of other men. However, never have I felt a connection with anyone as deeply as I've had with you. Now that I know the whole story, it all makes sense why it was so easy to bond with you. In all honesty, I tend to strike out when it comes with connecting with other women in an intimate way."

"…I never would have guessed," Chibita lied nonchalantly.

Karamatsu wiped the tearful streams away from Chibita's cheeks and gave a genuinely loving smile. "Chibita, I don't care if you choose to be you or Chiharu or whatever. All I care about is how you feel about me and how I feel about you. So my long-time friend…will you keep being my star?"

Chibita's elated heart exploded like a firework. On tiptoe, the oden lover reached up and captured Karamatsu's lips in his. Wig still in hand and lips still preoccupied, Chibita wrapped his arms behind Karamatsu's neck as the sextuplet picked him up and held him close in a bridal-style fashion. As they pulled away for air, Karamatsu pressed his nose against Chibita's and gave him an innocent eskimo kiss; Chibita let out a high-pitched giggle at the childish act.

"You're so cheesy, idjit."

"And you're this cheese's perfect match. Together, we're a perfect party platter of cheese and crackers. Everyone will flock around us and see how undeniably savory and balanced we are as one entity."

Chibita snorted at the ridiculous analogy Karamatsu had attempted to romanticize. "I think I'd rather be an oden dish than a party platter."

Karamatsu kissed Chibita's cheek, smiling widely against the flushed flesh. "You are my starry oden dish."

"Damn it, are you gonna be this fluffy all the time? You'll have to hold back if you visit me while I'm working. I don't need you pronouncing your weird pet names for me to all my customers."

"Heh, I'll try to subdue the urge to share my fiery passion for you whilst you are making the world a little less hungry." Karamatsu cleared his throat and blushed hot pink as he added, "Speaking of urges, you mind if we…h-head back to your place and, uh, make up for a little bit?"

"What about your damn brother? He might still be contaminating my apartment."

"Oh, him? I'll be sure to give him a harsh dose of reality when we get back. I'm in the mood to blacken his other eye for what he's done to my poor Chibita star." Chibita smirked in approval; Karamatsu was unusually hot when he was so full of confidence. After exchanging a few more deep kisses, Karamatsu began sauntering in the direction of Chibita's flat with his half cross-dressed lover still secure in his arms.

Neither lover was bothered by the nippy weather or sorrow anymore; instead, Chibita and Karamatsu could only detect the warming aura of affection which engulfed them as they ventured back to Chibita's home.


End file.
